


The Reasons Why I Love You

by mourning_doves



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mourning_doves/pseuds/mourning_doves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard McCoy is no fool. He does not believe in love at first sight, or any of the myths people tell kids with crushes that change weekly. Then he meets Jim Kirk, a single father with a kind heart, who makes it impossible to not believe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Patient's Father

**Author's Note:**

> At some point it will be changed to explicit, and it is currently labeled as teen because I just want people to know that at some point there will be sex, etc. This is my first MAJOR fic and it will be updated with new chapters every so often. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you reading!

**October 2013**

Leonard has just about had it for the day, and it’s only eight in the morning. First, he gets stuck at the daycare with Joanna trying to convince them that he paid his dues. Then, as if he wasn’t running late already, he gets stuck in a traffic jam for half hour. It wouldn’t be a problem if he dropped Joanna off like he normally does; no questions asked. He’s almost one hundred percent certain that the teacher was actually trying to rack up enough nerves to ask him out; he almost considered doing it himself. She was pretty; he just knew for a fact that Joanna hated her guts, and usually Joanna had a good sense of who’s a good person and who’s not. 

Now, as if today is the world’s way of saying ‘fuck you’, he finds his usual coffee shop closed down. A sign hangs on the window by a single strip of duct tape with ‘closed for repairs’ horribly scribbled across it in black marker. Leonard slumps down in the leather car seat and curses under his breath; he’s pissed about being an hour late on his first day of working at the pediatrician’s office, and at this point he just wants a goddamn cup of coffee. 

Leonard doesn’t know what truly made him move up north, but he regrets that decision. Its autumn which means the temperature drops from high eighties to low fifties on a good day. Within the first week Leonard learned how truly unprepared he is for this weather. He packed a couple sweaters before moving; a couple sweaters means two, and they don’t even fit properly. They are tight on him now, and he tries to convince himself that it’s because he works out. Only problem is that he doesn’t work out that often; not since he’s been busy switching over to his new job and trying to get Joanna settled. This leaves him tugging at the sleeves of a skin tight and itchy sweater hoping he can find the coffee shop the other doctors suggested nearby the office. 

The coffee shop across town costs twice as much, but it’s just as packed as his usual would be. He scowls with his eyes plastered to the menu trying to find the cheapest priced item. A shit eating grin spreads across the baristas face as he attempts to convince Leonard to go up a size on his dark roast. He nearly rips the kid a new ass and shoves a five in his hand before storming off with the piping hot coffee. He felt only the slightest bit guilty for having yelled at the poor employee; he was just doing his job which required suckering customers into one upping on their cup size and sliding a stale muffin into view. 

***

Leonard storms into the pediatrician’s office; he tries his best to pull on a happy face but gravity slowly tugs it back to a frown. The secretary is talking to someone on the phone; her voice is calm but the look on her face suggests that the person on the other line is causing trouble. Someone slides up to the check in counter and mutters something about coming in for a vaccination. Leonard hears the secretary mention his name before his boss calls him down the hall. 

“You’re late.” She sounded as if she expected it. Did she really have that low of standards set for him already? 

“The daycare was throwing a fit this morning. Sorry, I promise it won’t happen again.” She waves a hand in a way that suggests she doesn’t want to hear excuses. 

“I know it won’t happen again. You’re a hard worker; I know what you’re capable of. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright.” 

Leonard is left standing in the hall slack jawed; the look on her face before prepared him for a rant about how lucky he was to get the job. Instead she waved it off like she could care less. The secretary interrupted his moment of awe by waving a file in front of his face with a smile. 

“You’ve got a patient.” Leonard flipped the file open before she even dropped it in his hands. The vaccine kid; honestly that wasn’t a bad way to start off. He could be getting stuck with a six year old covered in chicken pox. He dropped his briefcase into his office and tossed the coffee cup into the tiny black waste basket near the door. With the file tucked underneath his arm he quickly flagged down one of the nurses and politely asked her to bring in the patient. 

Nearly ten minutes later a different nurse slid into the office with looking annoyed and mentioned that she finished paperwork. Leonard pulled the white lab coat on and adjusted the name tag that threatened to snap off the edge of his coat any second now.

“Room two-oh-six.” The nurse called out before disappearing into the file room. 

***

Two vaccinations, and one severe case of shingles is what he dealt with this morning; he’s grateful not to have dealt with the child vomiting in the waiting room earlier. He heard all about that during lunch break; not the most appetizing conversation. He’s got a wicked headache from all the kids crying, and he still has one more round of vaccines to deal with.

He decided to be a pediatrician because he enjoys being around kids; they’re a lot nicer than sick adults. They might cry a lot but he can deal with crying. Adults sit around asking if there is any way to get better without medication, and they ramble on about some ‘symptom’ they think might be related. They leave out things that might help with diagnosis, and Leonard couldn’t deal with the guilty looks people get on their faces when he asks about their diet. They refuse to take their heart medication, and sooner or later they end up in the hospital with complications. Sure, kids have their down sides but Leonard still finds them easier to deal with. 

Leonard tugs a folder out from the slot on the door and slips into the room. At first he doesn’t notice the man sitting in the stiff patient chairs; his focus is entirely on the adorable, chubby cheeked kid sitting in his lap. He’s got this little button nose and a bright smile that can warm anyone’s heart. “George Kirk?” 

“He’s named after his grandfather,” Leonard glances up at the father who continues staring down at his son with this smile like the child is the greatest thing in the world. His hand pokes out from around George. “I’m Jim Kirk.” 

He’s still got this smile plastered to his face as Leonard shakes his hand; a gentle but firm grip and ridiculously soft hands. Leonard can’t help but return that smile; though his is probably not full of sunshine and rainbows like Jims. “Doctor McCoy. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Jim has sandy blond hair that slightly curls near his forehead, and deep blue eyes that Leonard gets lost in for a minute. His cheeks are the lightest shade of pink, and stubble lines his chin. Leonard feels like someone picked this guy right out of a damn love novel; his kid looks almost identical except the little amount of hair that is cropping up on his head is a few shades darker.

Now, Leonard is no fool. He does not believe in love at first sight, or any of the myths people tell kids with crushes that change weekly. Or he tries hard not to believe by reminding himself how the whole love at first sight thing worked out with Jocelyn, Joanna’s mother; a divorce and a million court dates to settle who gets their daughter. Jim Kirk makes it hard for him to not believe. It could be that Leonard is slowly becoming lonely, and that he misses having someone lying beside him in bed at night. Or it could be that Jim Kirk is beautiful and Leonard has never felt this way about someone since Joanna’s mother. It could be a combination of both. 

“How long will this take?” 

“It should take less than a half hour if he doesn’t fuss too much.”His response slips out without him really noticing as he tries his hardest to look away from Jim. Another smile cuts across his face and Jim mimics it with a nod before pulling George into his arms. Leonard watches the muscles in his arms flex and the way he wraps himself around the kid protectively as he brings him to the examination table on the other side of the room. 

_Shit_ is the only thought that really goes through his head as he finally snaps out of his trance. He supposed to keep patients not scare away the parents by staring them down. He suppresses a laugh, more at himself for being ridiculous than anything, and prepares the vaccines. He’s being ridiculous, right? _Now is not the time for the ‘would I be okay spending the rest of my life with this man’ game._ Leonard repeats that thought as he does the first vaccine. 

George does not like this one bit; his pudgy arms are flying at the older men’s faces and he screams as loud as possible. Leonard tugs an arm down and does a second arm, and gently sticks a band aid over the spot he pricked. That’s only followed by more screaming and this time the kid begins kicking his way off the table. Leonard’s hand lands on the kids back at the same time Jim’s does. They both glance up at each other, a smile that slightly resembles the baristas smile from earlier is on Jim’s face, and Leonard quickly pulls away to hold the kid’s arm back down.

Once he finishes Jim pulls poor red faced and sniffling George into his arms and cuddles him until the crying starts to die down, and Leonard attempts to finish the paperwork without looking at Jim. “Do you have kids?” 

“Yes, a daughter. She’s turning four in a month.” Leonard replies quickly.

“So you get to take your daughter to kindergarten and get harassed by single parents soon.” 

“And you get to clean up poop filled diapers and baby vomit,” He doesn’t realize the response slipped out until Jim begins laughing. Leonard glanced over his shoulder at the man and watched as he ran a hand through golden hair with a grin still stuck on his face. “I also would not date any of those single parents.” 

“You wouldn’t date any single parent? Not even a single parent like me?” 

The silence stretched on for what felt like eternity and Leonard could feel Jim staring at the back of his head. He finally twisted himself around in his swivel chair with his arms crossed. “What makes you so different from all those other single parents?” 

Jim’s grin only grew from that and Leonard became aggravated. Did this guy ever stop smiling or is that how he wins everyone over? “I won’t badger you about that bake sale, I won’t try to convince you to join the parent’s club, and I prefer wine and nice restaurants over apple juice and spaghetti dinners in the cafeteria. You also did not answer my question.” 

“First off, those spaghetti dinners are delicious. Secondly,” Leonard could feel his lips twitching as he tried to form a proper answer for Jim’s question. He swallowed hard before he spoke again, “Yes I would date a single parent like you.” 

“You’d only date a single parent like me, or would you date me?” 

_Dammit Jim._ Leonard stared at him in utter disbelief; he had to be kidding right? This was a test to see how he would do on the job if someone ever acted like this, right? The doctor’s arms tightened over his chest, and he debated turning around and ignoring the question. Then it slipped out, a simple yes as he quickly spun back to the paperwork. 

“Yes?” 

“I would go out with you.” He was stubborn to admit it but he finally managed to say it; the last word had stuck in his throat and he barely choked it out. The guy seemed polite for the most part, but he also had this attitude about him. He always knew when he was right, and wouldn’t let anything go until the person admitted to it. 

Jim appeared at Leonard’s side with a scrap piece of paper, clearly ripped off a magazine sitting on the corner table, and snatched the pen out of his hand. He quickly jotted down a number in tiny handwriting and then slid both the paper and pen towards Leonard. 

“You do realize I could have gotten your number from the medical sheet?” He held up the paperwork but Jim waved it off as he sat down beside his son who fiddled with a toy. Playing with those toys in waiting room is how kids get sick, and Leonard figured he could be expecting George back soon with some virus. 

“Do you prefer dinner or coffee?” 

“Dinner.”

“I know a really nice Italian place that makes wonderful spaghetti.”

“I thought you hated spaghetti dinners?” 

“Just call me.” 

Leonard stood and moved to the door; his hand rested on the handle waiting for Jim. George whined as he was picked up but then twisted himself around so he could rest his head on Jim’s shoulder. The door clicked open and Leonard moved aside to let the other man through. His eyes wandered down Jim’s backside; the shirt he was wearing was tight at the shoulders and his pants were clinging to his hips as though the belt did nothing to help. His eyes came to a halt at Jim’s butt and he felt guilt wash over him; he was checking out one of his patient’s parents in the middle of the damn hallway where everyone could see him. Leonard made a mental note to avoid doing this a second time. 

***

Joanna sat at the kitchen table while coloring a picture of a horse; her legs were swinging wildly beneath her and she hummed to some song playing on the movie she was watching. Leonard has never seen a neon pink horse in his entire life, but she clearly improved on her coloring in the lines. To be honest, if he ever came across a neon pink horse with blue hooves and an orange tail he would probably die. Whether he’d die from shock or from laughing is debatable. 

He stared down at his phone with his thumb hovering over the call button. Jim’s number had been put in there over a week ago; he was bad at this whole ‘call me’ thing. Was he suppose to call a few days later or a week or never. Never always seemed like the best option in his opinion. He disappeared into the living room and tapped the button.  
He counted the number of rings as he waited with the phone smashed against his ear. Five rings later he pulled the phone away to hang up when he heard someone finally pick up. 

“I can’t take you to the Italian place but we can still do spaghetti if you really want it.” 

“Do you always answer your phone with that?” 

“I got your number from the secretary.” 

“It scares me how easily she’d give out my number. She didn’t give anything else out did she?” 

“I told her it was in case of emergencies and I also asked for an address but she said no.” 

“Did you actually ask for an address because if so I’m slightly worried that I’m going to be tied up and thrown into your trunk?” 

There was muffled laughter from the other end and Leonard smiled to himself. Joanna skipped into the room holding up another movie; he was going to say no but she gave him the sad eyes till he broke down and nodded. “No, I only asked for the number.”

“It doesn’t have to be spaghetti. It can be whatever you want.”

“Whatever?” 

“Is that going to be a problem?” 

“What if you don’t like what I choose?”

“What are you choosing?” 

“Whatever you want.”

“Dammit Jim.” There was more laughter from Jim. He really was all sunshine and rainbows. 

“How about sushi?” 

“No.” 

“What? Why not?”

“Parasites.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding? Okay, how about Mexican?” 

“No.” 

“You know for someone who says they’ll eat whatever you sure are picky,” Leonard laughs this time as he begins making macaroni and cheese for dinner. “What about steak? Or are you deathly allergic to meat?” 

“I’ll take steak.” 

“When are we doing this?”

“Are you seriously leaving all of this up to me? Just pick a day.” 

“Fine, we’re going Friday. I’ll pick you up around five.” 

They agreed on the day and hung up only for Jim to call two minutes later. 

“What?”

“I need an address.” 

**

They’re seated in a booth in the far corner; the seats are stiff leather, the lighting is dim, and country music plays loudly from the speaker overhead. Jim hums along to the song and flips through the menu for the fifth time. Leonard places his own menu down on the table and takes a quick drink of the iced tea he ordered; he glances over his cup mid-sip and notices Jim watching him from the top of his menu. 

“You look nice tonight. Button down shirts suit you well.” Jim mumbles as he lifts his own drink to his lips and Leonard’s cheeks redden. The waitress appears and flips to a new page on her notepad before asking if they’re ready. It takes Leonard all of two seconds to order; Jim, on the other hand, continues to stare at his menu with an intense look on his face. He finally answers and the waitress disappears with the menus. 

“What do you do for a living?” Leonard lifts an eyebrow as he asks the question. He knows little to nothing about this guy; he struggled the entire week with convincing himself not to do an internet search on him. 

“I run an auto shop. The company has been run by family for years.” 

“Does it get good business?” 

“Decent amount. So what convinced you to become a doctor?”

“I enjoy helping sick people get better.” 

“That’s what every doctor says.”

“What do you expect?”

“Okay, but why kids?”

“They’re easier to deal with. Trust me.”

“Kids fight and scream.” 

“Adults refuse treatment and die.” Jim laughs and runs a hand through his hair as he props his elbows onto the table. His knees brush up against Leonard’s lightly and the corner of his mouth twitches up for a second. 

“What’s your daughter’s name?” 

“Joanna. She enjoys coloring and princess movies.”

“Who’s her favorite princess?”

“Pocahontas.” 

“I thought she wasn’t technically a princess?” 

“Don’t tell Joanna that or she’ll throw a fit. She runs around in this Pocahontas outfit and recites the ‘you think the only people who are people’ line constantly.”

“George likes Ariel. I’m not sure if it’s because of the talking fish or the mermaids but he gets excited whenever I play that movie.”

“He’s going to call forks dinglehoppers.” Leonard grinned as he said it. Joanna had done that for about a year and still does on occasion. They grew silent as the waitress swung by with the meals, and it remained quiet for awhile as they ate. 

“Lovely weather we’re having.” 

“You guys consider this lovely weather?”

“You’re joking right?”

“I just moved here from down south. I wasn’t expecting it to go from warm to cold so fast. From what everyone talked about it sounded like it gradually got colder.” 

“It’s October, and we live by the coast. What did you expect?” Leonard shook his head and stabbed his fork into a baked potato. “Why’d you move?”

“I got divorced three years ago, and my friends took my ex-wife’s side. I needed a fresh start.” 

“Why not move across the country? Why’d you choose Maine?” 

“I wasn’t exactly rolling in cash at the moment; plus I’ve always wanted to live up here. What’s your story?”

Jim fell silent and poked at a small piece of steak on his plate; his usual smile had fallen quite a bit. Leonard opened his mouth to explain that if he didn’t want to talk about it that was okay but Jim shook his head. “We broke up before she found out she was pregnant, and when she finally had George she left him with me one night and disappeared. It’s been two years since I’ve heard from her. A friend told me that she called him and said she wasn’t ready for a kid and had to leave. I was planning on going into med school. I had – have – no clue how to care for a child. I read through all these parenting books and they’ve been useless. I’m not ready for this parenting thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” 

They both were silent for the longest time and now Leonard noticed how busy the restaurant actually was; almost every table had been taken up. Across the room a couple sat bickering at each other and for a minute it looked like the man came close to getting up and storming from the place. Beside them was an older man making strange faces to a laughing baby sitting in a woman’s lap in front of him. 

“Don’t bother with parenting books.” 

“What?” 

“You said you were reading parenting books. Don’t bother. I learned that the hard way.” Jim’s smile slowly returned to his face.

“What’s your biggest fear?”

“Flying, what does this have to do with parenting?” 

“What’s your favorite color?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What’s your favorite show?” 

“Bones. I feel like I’m back in third grade being asked questions on the first day of school.” 

“What was your favorite class when you went into medicine?” 

“I enjoyed anatomy.” 

“Favorite topic in anatomy?”

“The skeletal system.” 

“That’s actually kind of catchy.” 

“The skeletal system is catchy?”

“No, the word bones. Never mind.” Jim reached into his jacket pocket and tugged out a wallet and proceeded to rifle through it for money. 

“I can pay.” 

“No, I invited you so I pay.” Leonard opened his mouth to argue but Jim was already flagging down the waitress. 

“Seriously, let me pay something. I’m going to feel bad if I don’t.” 

“You can add a dollar to the tip pile.” Jim motioned towards the money he’d put aside on the table. Leonard huffed and tossed an extra ten into the pile and Jim smirked as he signed the receipt before the waitress left. They began making their way through the cluster of tables and as they reached the door Jim pushed it open and motioned Leonard past him. Leonard shrugged into his coat and smiled over at Jim as he walked up beside him. 

“I had a good time. Thank you.” 

“I had a great time, and I was actually wondering if you’d like to go out again.” Jim’s tongue flicked to the corner of his mouth for a split second and his hands balled into his jacket pockets. 

“What were you thinking?”

“Halloween is next Thursday and I want to take George out to this pumpkin patch,” Jim took a shaky breath and glanced towards the parking lot, “I thought maybe you would like to come. You can bring Joanna and the kids can spend some time together.” 

“You’re nervous.”

“Yeah, sometimes you can be intimidating. What do you say?” Leonard smiled at the words intimidating; he’d been told that at least a hundred times. 

“I’ll do it, and I promise you I’m not as mean as I might look.” A grin grew on Jim’s face spreading from ear to ear and laughter shook his entire body. They slowly headed towards the car standing so close to each other their arms bumped together every once in awhile.

***

Leonard could not remember the last time he’d been to a pumpkin patch; nor could he remember the last time he was excited about going on a date with someone. Sure, he had been excited about the first date with Jim, but he was almost certain Jim would never ask for a second date. Leonard was indeed intimidating; it became clear on the face of the mother sitting before him in the office. It took people like Jim to see through that outer shell, and there aren’t many people like Jim.  
“Are you sure he’s got the flu? All the symptoms say something completely different. I read online that--

“I don’t mean to be rude, but you shouldn’t trust all those articles online.”

“Well you never know.” 

“He has the flu. Take him home and let him rest for a few days. If things get worse give me a call.” Leonard let out a small sigh of relief as the mother nodded and took her son to the check out desk. She’d been in and out of this room nearly three times arguing with him over this flu. He felt the anger build as he heard footsteps coming towards the room.  
“Did you call him?” He spun around to face Nyota, the nurse, who leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed and a grin on her face. She was the only person he’d really talked to last week and he started to enjoy her company more and more. 

“Who?” 

“Don’t play that game with me. I know exactly what ‘I need his number for emergencies’ means. I almost didn’t give it to him until I saw you eyeing him in the hallway.” 

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because you’re the only person in this office that I can stand, and I think you could use some friends. I feel bad seeing you eat alone in the lunch room.” Nyota slid into the room and pulled one of the patient chairs over to Leonard. 

“We went on a date and it went well.”

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?” 

“That’s all there is to say.” 

“Jim had a lot to say,” Leonard’s eyebrow ticked up and his arms folded over his chest. “I’m dating his friend, Spock.”

“What did he say?”

“Long story short he finds you interesting. He thought the date went to fast and he wants to know more about you.”

“We’re going on a second date.” 

“I heard about that to. He likes you a lot. He doesn’t gush over people like the way he did over you. You’d be good for him.” 

Leonard had turned around to gather up some paperwork but immediately paused as she said the last few words. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“That’d be a shame. He could use someone like you in his life.”

“Like me?” Leonard faced Nyota as they both stood and she pulled the chair back against the wall.

“Jim hasn’t had a serious relationship in the past two years or so. It’s always been a one night thing, and he’ll come up with some reason not to see them. He has a hard time trusting people but he won’t admit it.” Nyota slowly pulled the paperwork out of Leonard’s hands and disappeared out the door. 

“Wash your hands when you’re done with that. That patient had the flu.”

Nyota’s laugh drifted down the hallway as Leonard moved to the break room. He pulled his lunch out of the fridge and grinned as he noticed Joanna had drawn on the side of the bag; small hearts and butterflies lined the edges and in the middle she scribbled ‘I luv yu’. The number of times he’d tried teaching her how too properly spell love and you and she still couldn’t get it right was amusing. 

Leonard sat in silence admiring his daughter’s ability to draw butterflies and bit into a badly made peanut butter sandwich; he’d been in a rush this morning and had barely put anything on the slices of bread before slapping them together and calling quits. He packed a handful of chips, and by handful that means however many had fallen onto the countertop when Joanna spilled the bag; the last packet of princess fruit snacks sitting on the bottom. Leonard swore he put those in her lunch. 

“Would you be okay with things getting serious?” He glanced over his shoulder in search of the voice and found Nyota rifling through the fridge.

“We went on one date.” 

“Say things start getting serious between you two. Would you be okay with that?” 

“One date.” 

“Len, come on.” 

“I haven’t been in a relationship in a few years.” Nyota jabbed a finger at a few buttons on the microwave and spun on her heel to face him. 

“That’s a cute bag.” 

“Did you call me Len?” Leonard glanced at the lunch bag for a moment and then returned to her.

“Your response is a bit late, and is that going to be an issue?” 

“No, just took me by surprise.” 

“Okay, answer my previous question.” She sat down in front of him with a bowl full of pasta; he grew jealous as he took another bite of his sandwich.

“That’s hard to determine when I only went on one date with the guy. For me a date is a nice evening with a nice person, not contemplating if I could live the rest of my life with this guy and what our wedding will be like.” 

“I was just curious.” 

He dropped the pieces of crust he had ripped off into the plastic baggy it came in and popped the cap off his water bottle. “He’s one of those people you’re comfortable around even if you know nothing about them.” 

“Most people say that about him. They also say he talks about himself too much.” 

“He asked more than he told.” 

Their attention turned to the doorway as a secretary popped her head into the room. “You’re next patient will be here soon.”


	2. High On Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute pumpkin carving scenes, heartfelt talks at the doctors office, and the aftermath of trick or treating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides behind computer* Oh, I am so sorry I haven't updated in what is (literally) almost a year. I'd be standing at my front door with pitchforks and flaming objects at this point, but thank you for bearing with me on this. It was my senior year (I'm graduating a few days, thank you jesus) so my entire time has been spent to projects and cramming for finals. I've already started chapter 3 just so I'm ahead of schedule.

Leonard felt like his life was set on rewind, like he was thrown back into his high school years, falling hopelessly in love with someone he barely knew. Every time he saw Jim butterflies filled his stomach, and he found himself grinning at every thought of him. After the divorce he’d tried dating, but none of the people he went out with made him feel the same way things were with Jocelyn before the marriage went downhill. Except Jim; Jim sparked something inside that made Leonard feel warm and fuzzy at the edges. He felt high on love, as his mother would say.

Jim chased Joanna around the pumpkin patch both laughing and stumbling through slick patches of mud. Joanna ducked down behind a large pumpkin, and Jim played along as if he couldn’t see her, “Joanna? Where’d you go?”

“Boo!” Joanna jumped out, her coat’s hood dropping from her head revealing her messy, dark hair. Jim pretended to be frightened and clutched his chest. He glanced over at Leonard, and his lips twitched up into a grin before he took off chasing Joanna once again. 

“Pumcan,” Leonard looked down to George, who had been clinging to Leonard since they’d left the car, staring at the smaller pumpkins on the ground. Leonard crouched down letting George point to the exact one he wanted. His tiny hands smacked down on one with green streaks and bumpy skin, “Pumcan!”

George’s mispronunciations made Leonard miss the days when Joanna talked the same way. Joanna’s vocabulary developed rapidly and she’d begun reading at the age of three. Leonard was a bit disappointed when Joanna started saying magazine instead of ‘magazweene’. 

“Step aside, the pumpkin master has this under control,” Jim said, reaching for the pumpkin George kept patting. 

“Pumpkin master,” Leonard rolled his eyes, and Jim beamed at him. 

“I’m the master of many things,” the dip in Jim’s voice as he spoke and the way Jim’s eyes flickered down to Leonard’s lips momentarily made Leonard’s stomach drop.  
“Sure thing,” Leonard said resisting the urge to roll his eyes again. 

Leonard tried to keep the thoughts revolving around Jim’s ‘master of many things’ comment at bay, but they crept up each time Jim flashed him that shit eating grin with every stupid joke he cracked.

“Can Jimmy stay and carve the pumpkins with us?” Joanna asked from the back seat where she sat with her knees tucked under her chin staring at Leonard with little puppy dog eyes, “Please?”

“I think that’s something you should ask Jimmy,” Leonard smirked at Jim who rolled his eyes at the name ‘Jimmy’.  
“Jimmy?” 

“Yes, Joanna?” Leonard noted the amusement in Jim’s tone as he responded,

“Can you please carve pumpkins with me?” 

“I don’t know, can I?” Jim turned to Leonard who sighed and elbowed him. 

Joanna sighed and Leonard could already _feel_ the attitude, “I already tried asking him, he’s not going to answer,”

“I see she’s picked up on your attitude,” Jim smirked,

“Her teenage years will be interesting,” Leonard cringed at the thought, “Joanna be nice,”

“Well?” Jim nudged Leonard with his elbow lightly,

“Wipe that stupid smirk off your face and you can come,” Jim’s smirk transformed into an ear to ear smile,

“You said the s-word!” Joanna yelled,

“Sorry,” Leonard grumbled back at Joanna and glared at Jim who suppressed a chuckle, “I’ll burn your chicken nuggets if you keep it up.”

Jim’s laughter filled the car and Leonard felt warm and fuzzy again; Jim’s elbow bumped Leonard’s again as he laughed, but instead of pulling away like last time it stayed in place resting beside Leonard’s on the emergency brake.

“Ooh, burnt chicken nuggets, I’m so scared,” Jim replied sarcastically, “what’s next? If I don’t eat my vegetables I don’t get dessert?” 

“Yes,” Leonard’s reply came out dead serious, and Jim stopped laughing to look at him. Leonard glanced between Jim and the road trying to keep his face serious, but Jim started grinning and they both burst into laughter. 

“Dumb –“ Jim glanced back at Joanna who seemed to be entranced by the view out the window, “butt,”

“That’s it, burnt chicken nuggets and spinach,” Jim flipped him the bird from a position that neither Joanna nor George could see. 

The car grew silent as Leonard turned down the winding gravel road leading home. The song playing on the radio switched over after a long commercial about the local car dealership. A few lines in and Joanna began humming along in the back seat. 

“Have I found you, flightless bird?” Jim sung, his voice going along with each note perfectly. The butterflies in Leonard’s stomach fluttered and blood flooded his cheeks. Jim stared out the window bobbing his head lightly and singing along. 

The words weren't directed towards him, but the way Jim sung them; they were so full of life. Like they were full of memories, and happy times. Leonard could listen to him sing all night, and when the song ended he wanted to rewind the last few moments to hear his voice.

“You can sing,” Leonard said it so matter of fact and Jim ducked his head blushing. 

“A little, yeah,” 

“A little? I’d pay to hear you sing freaking the alphabet,” Leonard swore that Jim’s cheeks grew redder, if that were possible, “That sounded a little desperate single PTA parent-ish didn't it?”

“I don’t mind,” Jim chuckled ducking his head again, “when I was younger, before George came around, I was planning on becoming a singer. Then George was conceived, and I've been more focused on being a decent father.” 

Jim stared out the window in silence; his tongue flicked across his lips, a nervous tick, and Leonard elbowed him so Jim glanced over at him, “You’re doing a hell of a job. Single parenting isn't easy, but you make it look that way. Be proud of yourself,”

Leonard pulled into his driveway and put the car into park before turning it off and turning to Jim, “We’re here, pumpkin master.”

Jim’s worried expression quickly flickered to something that looked like regret and then his usual goofy grin. Joanna had already tumbled out the back seat was dancing at the trunk, “God, you’re going to make me regret that aren't you?” 

Leonard climbed out of the car and peered in at Jim, “Yes.”

Jim groaned as Leonard popped the trunk and slammed the door shut. Jim climbed out of the car and began the process of unbuckling what seemed like sixty million buckles around George’s car seat.

“Got it?” Leonard asked as Joanna tugged her pumpkin out of the trunk; her curls bounced as she nodded, but when the pumpkin hit the ground with a little thud she looked up at him and shook her head. Leonard chuckled and swept the pumpkin up, “Grab the small ones,”

Jim swept around the back end of the car with George curled up in his arms, his face nuzzled in Jim’s neck, and his hands gripping to him tightly, “Look who’s the pumpkin master now,”

“Shut up, and do me a favor,” Leonard nodded him over, “Shut the trunk, and get the keys out my coat pocket.” 

Fifteen minutes later Joanna danced around the kitchen table, pumpkin guts in hand, singing Ghostbusters at the top of her lungs. George stared down at the mass of guts on the table, his hand squishing them up, and making faces that suggested he didn't like the feeling. Jim sliced large triangles as eyes on George’s pumpkin. Black marker streaked across the front of the pumpkin where George had drawn the ‘face’. Leonard carved Joanna’s who managed to get a few actual shapes, wobbly lined but shapes nonetheless, on it.

“Who you gonna call?!” Joanna bellowed, and for what felt like the fiftieth time Jim and Leonard replied ‘Ghostbusters’. 

“Do you want to carve the pumpkin?” Leonard asked, partly because he wanted her to put some effort into carving her pumpkin rather than accidentally fling pumpkin guts at the wall again, and partly because if he had to say ‘Ghostbusters’ one more time before the night was over he’d have a mental breakdown. 

Joanna’s face lit up like she’d seen Santa Clause, and she bounded over to Leonard crawling a bit too roughly onto his lap. He let her grab the knife and held his hand over hers so he could steady her. The last thing he wanted was for her to slip up and hurt herself. Especially with slimy, pumpkin gut feels sort of like baby shit, hands and Leonard gagged a little. 

That’s when George started giggling and Leonard glanced up to see him squishing the orange slime into Jim’s face. He grabbed another handful and his tiny fist went speeding for Jim’s mouth leaving Jim with a tight lipped, slime covered smile. 

“Want a kiss?” Jim asked turning to Leonard; both Leonard and Joanna seemed to have the same response: nose crinkling and a “no” but Leonard added “minus the guts, sure”. Jim watched Leonard return to helping Joanna carve the pumpkin, and before Leonard could pick up on it Jim pressed the mush into his cheek.

“Oh my god,” Leonard chirped, both out of surprise and disgust. Joanna started laughing and she slipped away as Jim reached for her. She sped off toward the living room, and Jim’s hand landed on Leonard’s chest. Leonard looked down at the mess on his, favorite by the way, shirt and back up at Jim. 

“I’m sorry,” Jim sounded like he was unsure if he was actually sorry or not, and Leonard grabbed a handful of guts and wiped them across Jim’s other, clean, cheek, “oh, it’s on.”

Ten minutes later Jim and Leonard stalked around the table, guts in hand, watching each other, waiting for the other to make their move. Pumpkin seeds were clinging to Leonard’s hair, and guts stuck to his shirt like it was a life line. Jim had guts down the front of his t-shirt, in the pocket of his cardigan, and his pants had a huge wet spot down the right leg. 

“Forfeit?” Jim asked raising an eyebrow and Leonard scoffed.

“Not until you do,” 

Guts went flying across the table hitting Leonard in the chest, and Leonard lunged at Jim from across the table. Jim wrestled him down to the floor before Leonard could shove the guts into Jim’s hair, but Leonard dragged him down to the ground and pinned a giggling Jim beneath him. Leonard stared down at him, and Jim’s giggling subsided. The room fell silent other than Joanna singing in the bathroom and George’s laughter from the living room. 

The butterflies were chaotic in Leonard’s stomach at this point, and Jim’s tongue flicked across his lips, “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Jim responded almost immediately, his voice soft, quiet, and nervous. Their lips smashed together, and it started off sloppy but it felt good. Jim’s lips tasted of pumpkin and the apple cider they’d drank at the pumpkin patch. Jim pressed into the kiss, a tiny moan sounded in the back of his throat. 

“Ew!” Leonard and Jim broke apart and turned to where the voice had cried out. Joanna stood a few feet in front of them crinkling her nose at them, “Kissing is gross!” 

Jim’s cheeks turned bright red, and Leonard moved away so Jim could move, “I could kiss you,” 

“Daddy, that’s gross,” Joanna mumbled, but Leonard crawled toward her and kissed her cheek. She swatted him away, “bleh!” 

Leonard laughed as she took off into the living room, and Jim held a hand to help pull the other man onto his feet. Jim smirked as Leonard stood, and whispered “Bleh wasn’t my thoughts,”

Leonard’s cheeks burned and he bumped shoulders with Jim, “I’m glad to hear that,”

***

Leonard felt like that kiss with Jim had been some sort of clumsy curse. He’d cut himself finishing up Joanna’s pumpkin, and since then it’d been minor accidents. Today started with spilling coffee on paperwork, his lunch exploding in the microwave, and a screaming infant swinging and hitting him in the face during vaccinations. Hell, he wouldn’t have counted the infant incident, but during a restroom break he looked in the mirror while washing his hands and noticed a giant purple bruise forming at his temple where the kid’s fist made contact. 

“Kid should be a boxer,” Leonard grumbled leaving the restroom. He grabbed the paperwork from the holder on the door and began reading through the patient’s history when a hand latched onto the back of his jacket and rushed him into the nurses’ station. 

“Spill it, doc,” Nyota snapped spinning Leonard around so he faced her before crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“Spill what?”

“Jim came over two days after your date, and he was all giddy,” Nyota explained,

“Sunshine and rainbows type of shit?”

“Close enough,”

“Did you ask him?”

“I did, and he just said ‘it was good’. Usually he’s talkative and Spock can’t get him to shut up no matter how many times he changes the subject,” Leonard shrugged and turned to step away but Nyota’s hand landed on his shoulder holding him in place, “You broke Jim. What did you do?”

“Broke him? That’s a little harsh; I don’t think kissing him counts as breaking him.” Leonard managed to slip away in Nyota’s moment of shock, and he reached to head into the patient’s room when her hand shot back out and tugged him back into the station, “I have a job to do, and so do you.”

“You’re lying,” Nyota gave him a threatening look that suggested she’d rip him a new ass if he played it off with another joke,

“No,” Leonard mumbled, an eyebrow ticking up as he swept her hand from his shoulder and turned away once more, “I really do have a job.”

Leonard swung the patient’s door open before Nyota could pull him back, and as he stepped in she pushed in with him, “This is doctor McCoy, and I’m nurse Nyota. We’re going to help you feel better, okay?”

A shy six year old girl with wavy blonde hair reluctantly nodded; her mother staring down at her smart phone clearly too absorbed in her emails to notice anyone had entered the room, “Alright, Leanne-“

“I want to be called Lee,” she spoke in a tiny voice, her eyes wandering to her mother who finally looked away from her phone only to roll her eyes.

“Leanne, how many times do I have to tell you, that is a boy’s name?” 

“I want to be a boy,” Lee whispered, and Leonard felt a moment of conflict. He wanted to make sure Lee felt comfortable and called by the name _he_ wanted, but Lee’s mother could also potentially throw a fit over him using the ‘boys name’. 

“I hear your throat isn’t feeling too well?” Lee shook his head, and Nyota swept to his side before Leonard could suggest anything. Nyota could guess what kid’s were in for the moment they stepped foot into the doctor’s office. 

“Can you open wide for me?” Nyota asked, but Lee stared at her instead, “I promise it won’t hurt, and if you’re real good, you can have a sucker.” 

Nyota grinned, and Lee’s lips twitched up into a tiny grin before he finally opened her mouth. She placed a depressor onto his tongue and clicked the pen light on. Leonard asked the mother questions, and though they were one or two word answers he scribbled them down onto his chart, “Strep throat?”

“We’ll have to do a throat culture, but that’s what I’m going with,” Nyota mumbled, “Has there been any fevers in the past few days,” 

“I never checked,” the mother grumbled, still staring at her phone. 

Ten minutes later, and Leonard was sending the mother and Lee out the door with a prescription for antibiotics. Nyota slipped _two_ suckers to Lee who looked completely overjoyed and hid one of them in his coat pocket. He smiled back at Nyota, who waved goodbye as he mother tugged him down the hallway, “Poor kid. Mother barely pays attention to him.”

“Barely cares is more like it.” Nyota watched the two disappear through the main door and turned back to Leonard. 

“I don’t understand how parent’s can treat their kids like that,” Nyota watched Leonard fill out the rest of Lee’s paperwork. She fell silent, but Leonard could feel her staring at him. He knew why; she was waiting for him to talk about Jim. 

“How long are you going to wait there?”

“I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be honest,” Nyota began and she slid into one of the patient chairs lined against the wall, “I don’t want any of the ‘we’ve only been on a few dates’ crap.”

Leonard looked up at her, set his pen down, and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyebrow ticked up waiting for the question, and her frown deepened, “I need you to take this serious,”

“You’ve met me, you should know I’m a pretty serious person,” Nyota sniffed and shook her head as she leaned forward in her chair.

“This whole thing with Jim, it’s serious right?” Nyota asked with her voice soft and quiet; the question felt like a blow to Leonard’s stomach.

Leonard had thought about their relationship, if that’s what they were calling it, and it was something that kept him up at night. The thought of Jim made his stomach hurt, not in a bad way, more in a nervous ‘oh my god this is happening’ way. Something close to the way he felt when he was standing at the altar with Jocelyn. And Nyota could see it; she could see it in his eyes because she slid back in her chair with this tiny smile. Nyota was reading him like an open book. His eyes dropped to his paperwork, and his cheeks burned.

“Jim’s serious about you too,” Nyota spoke softly, “I can tell because at first you were all he talked about, but now he’s quiet. He’s keeping everything between you two bottled up. The last time he did that, it was with George’s mother. Anyone else he’d talk our ears off about how ‘wonderful’ she or he is. Those relationships ended within a few months. 

“You two start dating and the first date he won’t shut up like usual. Second date, and all I get is an ‘it was good’. And I’ve seen the way you check your phone every two minutes,”  
“It’s not every two minutes,”

“My mistake, every minute, and every time you check a message you’re grinning to yourself or you’re blushing.”

“I don’t bl-“ Leonard started but he could feel his cheeks burning again.

“Jim really likes you, Leonard. I know, it’s been two dates,” Leonard opened his mouth to speak but Nyota gave him a cold look and he stopped, “but he trusts you, and he cares about you. Some of the people he dated before he wouldn’t let around George for at least a month. I just wanted to make sure you feel the same way before…”

Nyota stopped speaking, and she finally looked away from Leonard. When Leonard didn’t respond she stood and headed toward the door, “I won’t hurt him.” 

Nyota paused at the door, her hand gripping the handle, and she stared down at her shoes, “I don’t mean to imply that you would, but he did this before. He was so broken after George’s mother left, and I can’t watch him go through that again. He’ll hole himself up in his damn apartment, and I-

“I won’t hurt him, Nyota. I promise.” 

It felt like the minute of unbearable silence would stretch on forever. Leonard let out a nervous breath read the words on the paperwork, but they didn’t compute. The words felt blurry in his mind.

“Okay,” Nyota opened the door and glanced back at him, “Thank you.”

***

“Joanna McCoy, princess warrior of Maine, hangs from the kings arms as he walks back to the castle. Leaves are stuck her hair from when she battled a leaf pile bravely three streets down, and her plastic pumpkin is filled to the brim with riches and gifts given from her people. 

“Next to the king walks the brave knight holding Sir George, cursed by the evil with down the street. The witch pinched Sir George’s cheeks, and now he must sleep away the curse until sunrise. Princess warrior Joanna should sleep till sunrise just in case she is infected with the curse. What do you think, my king?”

“I think a more appropriate time to get up is when I’ve had at least two cups of coffee, but sure. Sunrise works too.” Jim laughed, the scraping of leaves beneath their feet echoing in the silence of the night as they walked, “Is she asleep?”

“Oh, she’s knocked out,” Jim glanced back at Joanna’s limp body dangling over Leonard’s shoulders. 

“Thanks,” Leonard looked over at Jim, “she got really excited when I told her you were going trick or treating with us.”

“You sounded pretty excited yourself on the phone,” Leonard grinned as Jim bumped shoulders with him as they turned up Leonard’s driveway. 

“Maybe a little bit,” 

Jim rolled his eyes and elbowed Leonard, “You sounded ecstatic when I said yes. ‘Really?! You’ll come!?’” 

“First off, that is a terrible impersonation,” Leonard shook his head. “Second, I did not say that. I said ‘Really? She’ll love that.’”

“Your tone of voice suggested it was more your idea than hers to have me tag along.” 

“I may have suggested the idea, yes, but she was the one who begged for me to call.”

“Mmhm, sure,” 

“I need you to unlock the door,” Jim reached into Leonard’s pocket and retrieved the keys before Leonard could say a word. Jim swung the door open letting Leonard to step in. Jim followed shutting the door behind him, and Leonard dropped Joanna’s pumpkin at the kitchen table, “I’m putting her to bed.”

Leonard flicked Joanna’s bedroom light on and pulled the blankets up before depositing her in her bed. She automatically curled into the growing mass of stuffed animals at the side of her bed, and he tucked the blankets in around her. He plucked the plastic crown from her head and placed a kiss on her temple before flicking the switch and turning to step out of her room. He stopped short when he noticed Jim standing in the doorway watching him. 

“Princess Jim,” Leonard mumbled placing the plastic crown on top of Jim’s head. Jim snorted and wiggled the crown further onto his head so it fit properly. 

“Princess Jim of Maine, get it right,” Leonard chuckled and led him back into the living room where George was curled up on the couch sound asleep. 

“Technically, you’re my boyfriend, so wouldn’t you be king as well?” Jim paused and stared at Leonard,

“I think that’s if you’re married, so Princess Jim would be correct,” Leonard nodded and grabbed Joanna’s pumpkin to stash away so she couldn’t sneak candy when he wasn’t looking. The house fell silent, and Jim waited for Leonard to reappear in the dining room before asking, “Are we?”

Leonard looked up at Jim; one eyebrow raised, and grinned, “Married? No, it’s only been three dates I think that’s a bit too soon.” 

Jim suppressed a chuckle and ducked his head, “I meant are we ‘boyfriends’?”

Leonard nibbled at his lip considering what he’d said before nodding, “Yeah, I mean unless you don’t want to be, which is okay, if you think things are going to-

Leonard’s words were cut off by Jim pulling Leonard close by the belt loops and pressing his lips to the other man’s. Jim tasted faintly of chocolate and something sweeter from the candy he’d stolen out of George’s bag. Jim pressed himself close to Leonard, his hands falling to Leonard’s hips. When they parted Jim pressed his forehead to Leonard’s, “I’m okay with that.”

“Okay,” Leonard breathed watching as Jim’s tongue flicked across his lips, “I still say that makes you king number two.”

“King one and King two, ruling Maine together,” Leonard snorted, and Jim kissed him once more, this one sweet and to the point.

“The King and his pumpkin master,” 

“Oh my god, and just for that I’m going to call you Bones,”

“Bones?” Leonard’s eyebrow raised and he stared at Jim whose lips split into the biggest grin Leonard had seen yet.

“It was a nickname I came up with on our first date. I didn’t want to use it because I didn’t know how you’d feel about it, but now I’m using it as payback.” Jim mumbled as he walked over to couch and plucked George from the cushions.

“No,” Jim glanced up at him, his brow furrowing, “I remember that. You said the word was catchy.”

“Yeah,” Jim grinned, shifting George’s weight from one arm to the next, “It kind of stuck with me after that.”

“I like it, and I promise I won’t say the pumpkin master thing anymore, so you don’t have to come up with some torturous nickname.”

“Bones,” Jim nodded as he said it, “Well, listen, squirt here goes to bed at eight and it’s already nine thirty. He’s going to be cranky tomorrow.”

Jim started toward the door, but Leonard beat him there swinging it open so Jim could step out. Jim smiled lightly as he walked out onto the porch. Leonard shivered against the cool October soon-to-be-November wind, and watched Jim hop down the first few steps toward his car parked in the driveway. Jim buckled George into his car seat and slid into the driver’s seat before waving Leonard goodbye.

Twenty minutes later Leonard sat curled up on the sofa half-asleep watching shitty reruns of some late night comedy when his phone vibrated. 

_King two still has Princess Warrior Joanna’s crown._

Leonard groaned; she’d be looking for that in the morning. 

_I’ll just bribe her with extra candy. Her dentist is going to love me._

Leonard’s attention returned to the television where an infomercial for miracle ‘super absorbent’ towels flashed across the screen. Seconds later his phone buzzed again.

_Tell her dentist that you’re already taken._

Leonard couldn’t suppress the grin forming as he texted back: _Trust me; you’re much sexier._

_Doctor, I don’t feel well._

_I’m a pediatrician not a porn star._

_Sure about that; sometimes you give off that porn star vibe._

_Oh yeah, cause the dad button down shirts tucked into jeans look is porn star material._

_Some people are into that awkward dad look._

Leonard scoffed as he read Jim’s message. _Is that why you’re into me. You one of those people into the awkward dad thing?_

_Hey, I’m an awkward dad here too, so we’re both guilty._

_Technically, you’re a hot dad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kissing scenes are my way of bribing you guys into not hating me for taking so long to update. also I'm sorry if any paragraphs are jumbled together; I have terrible editing skills, and the attention span of a 2 year old.


	3. This Man Was The Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding vow "in sickness, and in health" applies here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter I begin switching back and forth between Leonard and Jim's POV. I will most likely continue bouncing between POV's throughout other chapters. Also, if you're here for smut, the next chapter will (probably, most likely, I still have yet to write it) be the chapter where smut starts.   
> Tomorrow I have a graduation ceremony to attend so chapter 4 might take a few days. Believe me, if there were no graduation I would probably have finished this by now (I couldn't sleep last night, I just wanted to write).

**Late November**

The digital numbers on the alarm clock flicked to 11:20, and Leonard’s hand was already smacking the snooze button for the fourth time. 

“We’re going to be late,” Leonard mumbled drifting in and out of sleep. The covers were pulled up to his neck and his legs intertwined with Jim’s.

“I don’t want go,” Jim whispered. He was curled against Leonard, their bodies fitting into each other’s curves almost perfectly. Leonard’s arm hooked around Jim, holding him close, and he laced sleepy kisses down the curve of Jim’s ear and to his jaw. 

“Nyota’s going to be pissed if we’re late for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“I’m more worried about Spock; he’ll never let me live it down.”

“I received a threatening text saying that if I didn’t show up with my ‘dorky boyfriend’ she’ll make sure I get a full day of screaming infants and puking four year olds at the office.” Jim chuckled and flipped around beneath the covers so he faced Leonard.

“She goes through with threats. I learned that the hard way.”

“Maybe we should roll our lazy asses out of bed.” Leonard smiled as Jim groaned. In the next room Leonard could hear Barney singing the I Love You song on TV, and Joanna attempting to quietly sing along; key word being quietly. The song ended and moments later the TV clicked off. Joanna’s footsteps grew louder down the hall and Leonard sighed, “Brace yourself.”

“What?” Jim’s brow furrowed just as the bedroom door flew open and Joanna came barreling onto the bed. She stumbled over top the men’s legs and began jumping singing the I Love You song intertwined with “wake up”. Jim grinned at Leonard before rolling over to watch Joanna.

“Joanna, please stop jumping on the bed.” Leonard groaned,

“We. Gotta. Go!” Joanna said each word with each jump, and she sounded slightly out of breath by the time Leonard sat up and pulled her down. She giggled as Leonard tickled her sides and as her feet flailed Jim grabbed them only to tickle the bottoms, “I’m gonna pee!”

“Bathroom,” Leonard’s voice was stern, and she immediately stumbled off the bed and stomped down the hall.

“We really do need to go.” Jim muttered hauling himself from the comfort of the bed. He reached down and tugged on his khakis that lied in a crumpled mass at the side of the bed. 

“You’re just going to show up in khakis and a t-shirt?” Leonard gave Jim an incredulous as he walked toward the closet. 

“I’ve shown up in sweat pants and a hoodie before. I’m sure they’ll be impressed by my outfit choice, actually.” 

Twenty minutes later Leonard pulled into Nyota’s driveway with a half asleep Jim Kirk wearing one of Leonard’s wrinkled sweaters, a grumpy George Kirk, and Joanna McCoy singing I Love You at the highest pitch she could manage. 

Leonard elbowed Jim in the side until he opened his eyes, “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

Nyota’s front door swung open before Leonard was out of the car, and she slipped out into the bitter November wind; behind her followed Spock looking amused at the sight of Jim in the green and red sweater. Leonard unbuckled Joanna from her car seat, and she nearly fell face first attempting to get out of the car. Nyota crouched down; arms open wide, as Joanna ran to her. 

“How are you, sweetheart?” Nyota asked, and Joanna chirped a ‘good’ before running over to Spock and hugging his legs.

“That’s an intriguing sweater,” Spock sounded as though he were on the verge of laughter as Jim flipped him the bird. 

“It’s Leonard’s, and I didn’t get a choice on whether I wore it or not,” Jim grumbled as he walked toward the house. 

“Thank you, Leonard, for making sure he came presentable this time,” Nyota shook her head at Jim, “my mother still thinks I invited a homeless man in for thanksgiving last year.”

“It’s not my fault, you didn’t tell me that your parents were here,” Jim whined as everyone piled inside. 

“Shoes off, Joanna,” Leonard called out to his daughter before she went charging around Nyota’s clean home with muddy shoes. 

“Sorry for assuming that people dress nice when they come to holiday dinners,” Jim rolled his eyes at Nyota as he slipped George’s tennis shoes off, “I should warn you, my mother’s here and she brought my sisters.”

“Don’t sound so overjoyed, Nyota,” a woman who looked almost identical to Nyota, besides being noticeably shorter, stepped into view from the kitchen. Nyota crossed her arms and sighed. 

“This is Natalya, Naida is in the bathroom, they’re the evil twins” another woman peered around the corner at Leonard and Jim. Nyota pointed back at her with a grin, “and the shy one is Naomi.” 

“Are these the cute gay dads you were talking about earlier?” A voice called out down the hall, and everyone’s attention turned over to Nadia who came sashaying down the hallway, glass of champagne in hand, and a wicked grin that suggested she was planning on embarrassing someone and Leonard hoped to God it wasn’t going to be him.

“You’re right; they’re very cute,” Natalya grinned, and Leonard watched the group separate to form a small pathway where taller woman came scurrying through. Her hair was speckled with gray, and the veins in her hands stuck out, but she looked much like Nyota and her sisters.

“You’re going to embarrass Nyota’s friends,” the older woman beamed at the two men and the girls in the back rolled their eyes before huddling into the kitchen, “I’m Nyota’s mother, Elena,”

Elena shook Leonard’s hand, and as she reached for Jim’s she paused, “Is this the homeless man you brought in last year?” 

“Mother!” Nyota chirped from the kitchen swinging back around the corner, “You’re just as bad as the twins.”

“He’s sharpened up since last year,” Jim grinned and kissed the top of Elena’s hand.

“Spock took the kids into the other room,” Nyota called over her shoulder waving them into the kitchen.

“That reminds me,” Elena began following their lead, “when am I going to get little grandchildren?”

“Mom, it’s a bit early in the party to be bringing that up, you usually wait till after the meal and ask about it through charades,” Natalya muttered suppressing a chuckle.

“No, that’s Christmas,” Nadia corrected as she poked at a platter of cheese cubes with a toothpick. 

“All of my daughters’ friends have children, yet not a single daughter has considered having children,” Elena crossed her arms. 

“Who said we haven’t considered having children?” Naomi asked, and her cheeks flushed as everyone’s attention turned to her.

“Mom’s idea of considering is actually conceiving children,” Nyota raised an eyebrow in her mother’s direction and Leonard turned to Elena in time to catch her eye roll. 

“If you want you can take George,” Jim piped up, “he needs a diaper change every hour or so, he’ll eat anything except peas, and when you’re tired of him just ship him back. Just make sure to put a ‘fragile’ sticker on the box. UPS can be pretty rough on their deliveries.” 

The kitchen erupted with laughter, and Nadia shook her head at Jim, “Oh, don’t say that. You’ll never get him back.” 

Everyone fell silent as Spock stepped into the kitchen led by a beaming Joanna holding a sticker packet. Sparkling smiley face stickers lined Spock’s forehead, and a rainbow sticker perched on the tip of his nose. He gave a tight lipped grin, and Natalya giggled. Nyota patted Spock’s back with a grin, “You look very handsome.”

She planted a kiss on Spock’s cheek and the tips of his ears turned red; Joanna went around planting stickers on everyone’s hands receiving grins in return. Elena’s eyes danced between Joanna and Leonard, “I take it this one is yours?” 

“She’s definitely mine,” Leonard beamed as Joanna placed two stickers, two because Leonard’s special, on his hand and danced over to Jim placing three on the back of his hand, “Why do you get three?”

“Jimmy gave me two hot cocoas yesterday,” Joanna replied, and within seconds her expression turned to ‘uh oh I wasn’t supposed to say that’. Leonard looked up at Jim with an eyebrow raised.

“So you’re responsible for her bouncing off the walls when I came home?” Jim grinned, not an ounce of guilt in his expression, and nodded. 

“Jimmy?” Nadia’s ‘I’m up to no good’ grin returned, and all eyes were on Jim. Joanna nodded and held Jim’s hand as she spun around in tiny wobbly circles in front of him. 

“Jimmy, that’s his name,” Joanna said in a sing song voice. Nyota grinned and pushed Nadia out the kitchen before she could make another comment. Joanna led Jim out of the kitchen rambling about how she hated sweet potatoes until Elena mentioned how she puts marshmallows in her sweet potato casserole and Joanna’s eyes lit up. 

“Oh, Jimmy!” Natalya called slipping past Leonard determined to mock Jim, if Nadia couldn’t, until they left the house.  
Spock walked across the kitchen, “Thank you for coming.”

“My pleasure,” Leonard and Spock wandered toward the living room where everyone had begun cramming around the coffee table. A monopoly board sat in the middle, and hands went flying for the different metal pieces set to the side. 

“Daddy, I got you this one,” Joanna bounded up to Leonard and opened her hand revealing a tiny metal shoe. 

“Let’s go, shoe,” Nyota called out from the coffee table, and Leonard grinned. He felt like he was back in Georgia, crammed in his aunt’s house with twenty-five other people. He felt at home.

***

Leonard never thought he’d find himself standing in the hospital emergency room, eleven at night, on Thanksgiving. He never thought he’d find himself nearly choking out a doctor for jokingly implying that maybe; just maybe, Jim’s appendicitis was in fact food poisoning from the turkey they ate. Jim seemed invincible; he hadn’t gotten sick, not even when he kissed Leonard who’d come down with a raging stomach virus after a six year old sneezed on him. Seeing invincible Jim broken down like this ripped Leonard apart. 

Leonard had woken up to Jim curled up against the toilet, nearly crying, sweating from a fever so bad his shirt had wet spots. Nothing was left in his stomach at that point; he kept dry heaving and crying out in pain. His skin was so pale; it nearly blended in with his shirt. Joanna stood in her room, hidden behind her door, watching Leonard fling Jim’s arm over his shoulders. Leonard helped Jim out the door and hauled him into the car. He’d called Nyota, told her the situation, and explained where the spare key was and that Joanna and George were still in the house as he rushed Jim to the hospital.

Leonard sat in the surgery waiting room for what felt like hours, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. Every time the phone rang and the secretary picked it up it felt like his lungs stopped working. The secretary would call out someone else’s name, and Leonard felt the knot in his stomach tighten. One by one the waiting room emptied, and then Leonard sat alone staring at the fluorescent lights above him. 

“Leonard?” Nyota’s voice rang out loud and clear down the hallway. She stepped over to him and sat in the seat next to him, her face full of concern, “Haven’t heard anything yet?”

“It’s a minor surgery, he should be fine,” Leonard had been saying that in his head over and over, but with each minute that ticked by he grew more worried, “is Spock with the kids?”

Nyota nodded, and Leonard’s eyes flicked to the clock, for the fifth time within the minute, and to the front desk. The secretary stapled two papers together and dropped them into a folder; she’d stopped grinning politely at Leonard when he looked her way after the first half an hour. 

Leonard wanted to applaud her patience; he wondered how often she forced fake smiles toward worried family members. He wondered how often she saw doctors pace into the waiting room to deliver bad news. _How many parents had she seen break down into tears in front of the whole lobby? How often did she hear over the phone, from the doctors, ‘get the tissues ready’?_

“Like you said, he’s fine, Leonard,” Nyota must have read his thoughts. The secretary stood from her desk, stretched her arms upward, and then walked to the coffee machine in the far corner of the lobby. She plucked a Styrofoam cup from stack sitting on the counter and slid the coffee pot out of its unit. The phone rang nearly causing Leonard to jump out of his skin. The secretary sighed and replaced the coffee pot. She walked toward the desk, too slow if Leonard had a say, and picked up the phone. Her eyes fell on Leonard, and she muttered a few words into the receiver before holding up the phone, “Kirk?”

Leonard stood from his seat and half jogged toward the phone; if he’d pressed it to his ear any harder he might have broken it, “Hello?”

“Are you here with Jim Kirk?” A gruff voice grumbled from the other end of the line.

“Yes,”

“I got you good news and bad news, which do you want first?”

Leonard froze, his heart thumping out of his chest, “Good news,”

“Jim’s fine, he’s still waking up from the anesthesia, but he’s doing well.”

“Good,” Leonard only then realized he’d practically stopped breathing; his lungs burned, and as he sucked in air he felt the tension in his shoulders dissolve.

“Bad news is visiting hours ended awhile ago, so you’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning to stop in.” Leonard grinned, purely out of the relief that Jim was okay, and that the bad news was simply that the visiting hours were up. There was a click as the other end hung up. Leonard hung the phone up, and turned to Nyota who smiled back. 

“I told you he’d be fine; now let’s get you home,” Nyota elbowed Leonard lightly as she headed toward the elevators down the hall. 

The next morning, Leonard was headed toward Jim’s room the moment visiting hours began. He knocked on the heavy wood door and peered inside at Jim wrapped up in the blankets. Jim glanced at the door, a grin already making way across his face as Leonard slipped inside the room, “Hey, Bones,”

Leonard’s feet couldn’t carry him to Jim’s side fast enough. He leaned down pressing a quick kiss to Jim’s lips before pulling the chair from the corner to his bedside. Leonard’s fingers intertwined with Jim’s and turned to the television where an episode of Breaking Bad was paused, “How are you feeling?”

“Like a million bucks,” Jim smirked when Leonard rolled his eyes in his direction.

“How do you feel on a normal day?”

“A billion bucks,” Jim ran his thumb over Leonard’s knuckles, “and when I’m with you, a trillion.”

“Are you turning all sappy on me?” Jim chuckled and pushed the play button on the DVD player’s remote.

“Do me a favor, and don’t throttle the doctor when he comes in the check on me.”

“You still have the ‘are you sure it wasn’t the turkey’ doctor? I thought he’d have switched out for another patient after that incident.” Jim whined a little, his hand running across where Leonard assumed the stitches were, and shook his head.

“Don’t make me laugh, it hurts too much.” 

The room fell silent as they watched Walter White stumbling into an RV half naked. Jim attempted to laugh at Jessie Pinkman panicking, and Leonard smiled at the sound. It erased the worry that ached Leonard’s mind. He felt whole having Jim there by his side. 

There was a knock at the door, and Jim waved someone in. The doctor appeared at the other side of the bed, something that looked like fear flickering across his face when he noticed Leonard, and Jim paused the show once again, “We’re going to have a nurse come in and check on you in a few hours, but you should be good to go by late tonight, or, if things are looking a little iffy, tomorrow morning. I’d hate to keep you overnight again. When you check out you’ll get your prescription and the bill for everything.”

Leonard watched the doctor slink back out of the room and waited to speak until he heard the door click shut, “He look stressed,”

“I would be too if I walked into my patient’s room and saw the man who tried to murder me sitting there.”

“I did not try to murder him,” Leonard muttered under his breath as the figures on the screen began moving once again, “that bill is going to be astronomical.”

“They probably charged me for breathing the air.” 

“You touched their front desk, that’s seven hundred dollars right there.” Jim made another attempt at laughing, his free hand running over the incision site. 

“I’m not sure how I’m going to pay that off and the apartment, utilities, George,” Jim’s voice grew quiet as he rattled off each thing. His grip on Leonard’s hand tightened.

They stared at the screen for awhile, but Leonard knew Jim wasn’t listening to the show. He was trying to figure out how he’d make ends meet. An overnight stay at the hospital for Appendicitis was the last thing he needed while taking care of an infant on his own. 

“Live with me,” Leonard mumbled, it was meant to be a thought, but the words slipped out before Leonard could catch it. He twisted around to Jim who stared at him, “You’re pretty much already living with me as it is. We can set up the spare bedroom for George.”

“I’m not doing that to you,” Jim started but Leonard shook his head and looked back to the screen.

“I’m not your mother telling you to move into the basement, Jim. I love you, and the last thing I want is to see you struggling through this alone.” 

“Bones,” 

“Plus, this way you’ll have more space than that closet of an apartment. George will get his own room,”

“ _Bones_ ,” Leonard turned to Jim preparing to hear an argument against his offer, “I love you too.”

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and the world around him seemed to be going in slow motion. His heart stopped, his thoughts stopped, everything stopped. The words had slipped out unnoticed. It felt normal to say them; it felt right.

“You sure that’s not the pain killers talking?” Leonard’s voice sounded far away, like it was just a dream. 

“I’m sure,” Jim’s voice wavered, his eyes never leaving Leonard’s, “I love you,”

“Love’s a big word,” 

“It is,” Jim whispered. Leonard leaned over the bed railings, and he wasn’t sure whose lips met the other man’s first, but they crashed together like waves meeting the shore. Jim’s hand gripped Leonard’s winter coat tight like if he let go Leonard would drift away, and even when their lips parted Jim still clung to him, “Promise me you’re not going anywhere.”

Leonard stared into Jim’s eyes; they reminded him so much of the ocean. This man was the sea, and Leonard was lost within him.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

***

**Early December 2013**

“Careful,” Leonard swept to Jim’s side as he pushed the heavy Christmas tree box into the living room. 

“It’s been a few weeks, the incision healed, the doctor said I can go back to my normal life,” Jim smirked as Leonard pulled his hands away half swearing at Jim half apologizing. 

Once Jim left the hospital Leonard rented a truck and hauled Jim’s belongings to Leonard’s place. It took a week before Leonard would let Jim even leave, and even after that he couldn’t lift anything without Leonard snatching it out of his hands. Jim felt like he had his own personal, slightly annoying, butler for two weeks. 

“You know I’m just-

“Looking out for me,” Jim cut Leonard off, sounding like an exasperated teenager telling his father he understood for the fifth time.

“Looking out for you.” Leonard finished, pulling Jim over by the belt loops and planting a kiss at the corner of his lips. 

It was the small things like the corner of the mouth kisses, waking up wrapped in Leonard’s arms, seeing the tiny grin that formed on Leonard’s grumpy morning face when Jim made pancakes; it was things like that that Jim wished he could take a snapshot of. He wanted to take a picture of Joanna’s current expression as she concentrated on her Christmas list; because, it resembled Leonard’s concentration face in every way. Furrowed brow, eyebrow ticking up every few seconds, and her arms crossed.

He wanted to document every waking moment and tuck it away for a rainy day. Like the day he came home from work and found Leonard asleep with George curled up in his arms, and the moment when Joanna grabbed her spaghetti and strung it across her upper lip as a “spaghetti-stash”. 

“I wish I had a camera,” Jim thought as he clipped the fake branches to their Christmas tree.

“Closet; brown box on the shelf.” Leonard replied, lost in his own thoughts. 

Jim brushed away the green plastic pieces that stuck to his hands and headed for the closet. He swung open the door and pulled the tiny chain cord leading to the light on the ceiling. As the contents of the closet came into view his eyes landed on the cardboard box tucked away in the corner. He slid it from the shelf and sifted through its contents until he found the slightly battered digital camera.

“How much space is left on the card?” 

“It’s a new one; I changed it out when I moved up here.” Jim grinned and shoved the box back in its place before turning the camera on. Hiding behind the closet door he waited for the right moment and took a photo of Joanna. He pulled the light’s chain once more and bumped the closet door shut with his hip. 

He took a photo of Leonard stretching up to place the top branches on the tree. His tongue poked out at the corner of his mouth, and his stomach showed when his sweatshirt pulled up. Then a picture of George staring at the tree in fascination when they begun stringing up the lights. 

Jim knew he was becoming like one of those sentimental mothers who took pictures of everything, but he didn’t care. He wanted to document his time with the people he was beginning to consider family.

***

**Mid December 2013**

Jim stepped out of a local print shop bracing for the blast of freezing wind and snow that refused to break for the past week; in his hand he held an overstuffed envelope of printed pictures. Leonard sat in the parked car across the parking lot looking back at the kids in the backseats. Joanna grinned wide and clapped at something Leonard had said; they’re cheeks were bright red from playing in the snow for the past hour. Jim flicked the camera on and took the picture. 

_“Some of these photos are waste of card space, ya’know,” the print shop woman had when Jim picked the photos up._

_“Memories like these aren’t a waste of space,” He’d replied, and the woman shrugged._

Jim turned the camera off and jogged across the parking lot. He sighed in relief as he slid into the car and its warmth rushed around him. Leonard looked over at him, “I say we go home and make some hot chocolate,”

“Hot cocoa!” Joanna yelled, throwing her arms up in the air. George giggled and stretched his arms up over his head along with her, “With marshmallows!”

“Of course,” Jim nodded and double high fived her raised hands, “you can’t have cocoa without marshmallows.”

Leonard pulled out of the parking lot, already grinning at the prospect of hot chocolate. The commotion in the car died down leaving it silent other than the radio. The songs switched and quicker than lightning Jim turned the volume up. The first few lyrics Leonard didn’t recognize.

 _“Stole me a dog-eared map, and called for you everywhere.”_

“Have I found you?” Jim sang. 

Jim sang, even if it was some overplayed pop song, until the car pulled into Leonard’s driveway. Joanna had already managed to slink her way out of her car seat and barreled toward the front door chanting ‘hot cocoa’. Once Jim unbuckled George, he squirmed his way out of Jim’s grips so that he could waddle his way to Joanna. 

“He’s like you; independent and stubborn,” Leonard smirked as Jim bumped him with his shoulder. 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

The moment Jim was inside he shucked off his shoes and disappeared in the bedroom with the envelope of photos. 

An hour later Leonard slinked into the room where Jim was surrounded by photos, all flipped over with dates scribbled in black pen on the back. Leonard reached out to grab one of the pictures with ‘pillow fort’ written on it, and Jim scrambled to his feet pushing the other man toward the door.

“You can’t look,” Jim snapped,

“Why not?” 

“It’s a surprise,” Jim grumbled, shutting the door behind him as he led Leonard toward the living room. 

“I’m not a fan of surprises.”


End file.
